Cleaning lady charged with grand theft

A Charlotte County family trusted their long-time housekeeper, but, yesterday, investigators arrested her on grand theft – now, it's raising the question of whether there are more victims.

It happened in an upscale, quiet Placida neighborhood. The victims say only cleaning and maintenance crews have the code to get past their gate. So when things started to disappear, like an $8,000 gold diamond bracelet, it didn't take long to pinpoint the person responsible.

Deputies said 34-year-old Jennifer Shanahan went into the master bedroom, where their sick teenager was sleeping, and sifted through their belongings.

Investigators traced Shanahan's name through F.I.N.D.E.R., a database that monitors pawned transactions. Sure enough, her name came up – they say nearly a week after the bracelet was reported missing she sold it to North Port Jewelry and Watch Repair.

"I said it's really not feasible for me to repair this, so she said, 'OK, well how much is it worth?'"

Powers took a picture of the bracelet, a snapshot of Shanahan and her fingerprint. Shanahan walked away with $215.

Detectives say they matched the picture to a picture the homeowners had of the bracelet. Plus, they found matching prints on the homeowners' jewelry box.

Now, investigators say they may have leads on other homes Shanahan has cleaned where homeowners may be missing items.

A Charlotte County family trusted their long-time housekeeper, but, yesterday, investigators arrested her on grand theft – now, it's raising the question of whether there are more victims.

It happened in an upscale, quiet Placida neighborhood. The victims say only cleaning and maintenance crews have the code to get past their gate. So when things started to disappear, like an $8,000 gold diamond bracelet, it didn't take long to pinpoint the person responsible.

Deputies said 34-year-old Jennifer Shanahan went into the master bedroom, where their sick teenager was sleeping, and sifted through their belongings.

Investigators traced Shanahan's name through F.I.N.D.E.R., a database that monitors pawned transactions. Sure enough, her name came up – they say nearly a week after the bracelet was reported missing she sold it to North Port Jewelry and Watch Repair.